


Switched

by Kittylin15



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gender or Sex Swap, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 17:11:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2356145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittylin15/pseuds/Kittylin15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your Father wanted a male heir so badly that he condemned a group of people to death. I shall take away what he wanted." The old sorceress cackled as she spoke words of the old religion and pointed the spell directly at the prince's chest. Reacting on instinct Merlin pushed the prince behind him and the spell hit him instead. When Merlin regained consciousness, he wasn't male anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> So I ended up writing this after I read a Merlin changed himself into a girl by accident story. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way because Merlin never told Arthur it was him and they slept together then went back to just being his servant like everything was normal.
> 
> I thought this would be a more realistic way that Merlin would become a female.
> 
> Sat down after I read it with only one thought and just started to write so it isn't thought out before hand. Originally it was going to be part of my Impulses series but I couldn't stop writing so it ended up being too long to place there. I think it will be about three chapters long so not a long story.
> 
> (note: I realized after I was finished this that I wrote that Morgana and the Knight's of the round table are both in Camelot. I think Morgan's important for the story line so she was never evil and Gwaine is also important so I'm leaving it the way it is.

 

...o0o...

"Come on Merlin. We're losing her." Arthur called back to his manservant. They had been patrolling the border when they had come across a sorceress. They had managed to lose most of the other knights as they gave chase.

Merlin panted as he tried to keep up with his masters long precise strides. He ended up tripping over a root and had to grab onto a tree for support. "Shouldn't we wait for the others?"

"Don't be a girl Merlin." Arthur teased his servant as he stopped to take a breather. Glancing back at Merlin's pathetic slumped figure. "If we wait for the others the sorceress will get away."

Pushing off the tree Merlin mumbled to himself. "Not a girl." As soon as he reached his master's position the Prince was off again tracking the sorceress. He followed reluctantly, practically having to run to keep up.

In the middle of a clearing Arthur stopped in his tracks. The trail seems to end right here.

Merlin walked right into the prince's back because he wasn't paying attention. "Arthur, what..?"

"So you found me." A female voice spoke from the left side of the clearing. They whipped their heads around to look at the person the voice came from. The sorceress was old with Grey hair and was wearing a deep green robe with a grey shawl.

"You are in the lands of Camelot." Arthur started his usual speech when he was going to arrest someone.

"Ah, eh, ah." The sorceress wiggled her finger back and forth. "Not any more. This right here is where the border of Mercia starts. The laws of Camelot do not affect me here."

Arthur deflated when he realized the she was right. The different type of tree behind the sorceress marked the change of kingdom. "You better stay there and never come back into Camelot." He growled under his breath.

"Why would I want to? The laws of Camelot are unjust. It has caused the world to be unbalance." The sorceress spoke passionately. Merlin agreed with her opinion. "Uther used magic users previously for their powers then one thing goes wrong and he turns on us." She spat.

"They were using their powers for evil." Arthur replied like he had been taught since birth.

"Evil." The sorceress scoffed. "Your Father wanted a male heir so badly that he condemned a group of people to death. I shall take away what he wanted." The old sorceress cackled as she spoke words of the old religion and pointed the spell directly at the prince's chest.

Reacting on instinct he pushed the prince behind him Merlin the spell hit him instead. The world went black around him and he collapsed face first into the ground. His body was over taken by a flash of light.

Hearing the sound of reinforcements arriving - the clanging of armor - the sorceress transported herself to safety. Far away from here.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried in worry falling to his knees beside his unconscious manservant's side. He gathered his friend into his arms. His eyes widened when long dark hair cascaded over his arm. "Merlin?"

The servant's eyes fluttered then opened to the familiar blue. "Arthur?" Merlin croaked in a much higher voice than usual. He grabbed his throat and shot up in the prince's hold feeling something was very off. He scrambled to his feet.

Merlin ended up losing his boots in his haste since they were much too large now. He tripped over the hem of his pants and face planted into the dirt. Using a nearby boulder for support he got to his feet on shaky legs. His proportions felt all wrong. Feeling down over his body he gasped when he got to his crotch area and found nothing there. "That sorceress, turned me into a girl!" Merlin cried in dismay. Holding up the large mass of dark hair to show his point.

"Calm down." Arthur tried to mollify his manservant; more like maid servant at the moment. "It could've been much worse." Arthur had to hold in a snort finding the situation funny. With the petulant pout on his face Merlin looked adorable in his female form.

His shirt hung off his much more slender shoulders and his pants clung to the swell of his thighs. His breaches were much too long now; Merlin must have a lost a foot or two in height. His dark hair had grown to his mid back. The sharp features of Merlin's face had softened and the length had shortened to make an almost heart shaped.

"Calm down, how can you ask that? I'm a girl, a female." Merlin stomped in frustration then winced in pain when something jiggled and grabbed his chest. Looking down the front of his tunic he frowned. "I have boobs." He said with mortification. He felt very close to crying feeling his new hormones going to work. Crossing his arms over his chest to hide the area from sight.

"I'm sure we can get you changed back." Arthur walked closer to pat his shoulder in comfort. "We'll go back to Camelot, I'm sure Gaius can find some way to change you back." The prince noticed how he now towered over Merlin when they used to stand eye to eye.

o0o

The knights arrived to the sight of their prince trying to calm down a hysterical girl. It didn't seem like he was doing a very good job. Looking around they noticed it was only the two present.

"Did you find the sorceress?" Lancelot asked curiously.

"Yes we did." Arthur sighed, wishing he hadn't bothered. They had a right mess on their hands now.

"Who's the young lady?" Gwaine asked with a quirk of is eye brow. The clothes looked sort of familiar.

"It's me." Merlin snapped with dismay. Did he really look that different that one of his best friends didn't recognize him?

"What?" Gwaine replied confused to the girls retort. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "You must be confused. I've never met you before but if I did I think I would remember a beauty like yours." Sending a flirtatious look to the lady.

Arthur slapped the knight's hand away from his manservant feeling a possessive feeling. "Don't touch him."

"Him?" Gwaine asked surprised with wide eyes looking back to the figure between them. The curved figure and long locks were definitely there. "I assure you, I can tell when somebody is of a female persuasion and I am not mistaken this time."

The warlock covered his face with his hands to hide it and mumbled through his fingers. "It's me Merlin." A blush heated up his face as he revealed his identity.

"What do you mean?" Percival asked confused.

Since Merlin was too busy hiding Arthur took it on himself to explain. "The sorceress we were following, she shot a spell at me and Merlin the self-sacrificing idiot, took it for me."

"And it…?" Gwaine looked at the girl with fresh eyes. With the new information he could see the resemblance between Merlin and this female. Her eye, skin and hair were exactly the same colour as Merlin's. What he took to be a dress with leather leggings was actually Merlin's usual blue shirt and reaches. He thought the outfit looked familiar.

"Yes I was turned into a girl." Merlin hissed dropping his hands from his face. The sudden movement caused his tunic to slide further down his arms showing the top of his breasts. Keeping his modesty was never something he had to deal with before so he didn't immediately snap to fix it.

Arthur's eyes couldn't help but soak up the sight; he was male after all. Knowing he was not the only one present he unclicked his cape and settled it around Merlin's figure to cover his form from prying eyes. "We should get back to Camelot."

They headed back to where they had set up camp the night before

.

"Where's my horse?" Merlin looked around as all the knights mounted. He could have sworn he'd tied it to this very tree. Looking at his feet he saw part of the reigns that must have snapped. "Great. This really is the worst day of my life." They complained.

"You can ride with me." Arthur offered beating Gwaine to it. Merlin sighed but climbed up behind him on his horse.

…

The horse's hoofs clopped on the cobble stone streets of the castle. Merlin hid his face in Arthur's back as they rode through the lower town. There were many people pointing wondering who the girl was riding tandem with the prince.

They rode into the castles courtyard.

When the prince dismounted his horse instead of marching up the steps he turned and offered Merlin a hand down. He narrowed his eyes at the action. "Just because I look like a girl doesn't mean I can't do things for myself." Merlin snapped.

"Just trying to help." Arthur replied indignantly. "You normally can't get off a horse without almost injuring yourself in some way. I can't imagine how awful you'll be at it with shorter legs." The prince raised an eyebrow at him.

"I can get down just fine." Merlin tried to dismount the way he usually would but found his legs weren't long enough to fully reach the ground. His toes just reached the ground but he didn't have enough height to drop his heels to the ground. His left leg was stuck up on the saddle so he found himself floundering as he was losing his balance. Close to kissing the stone steps.

Arthur came to his servants rescue. Slipping his hands over Merlin's hips he lifted him up so that he could swing his leg off the horse and then placed him back on the ground. "Sure fine, all by yourself." He huffed sarcastically.

"I would've managed it eventually. I'm just not used to this body yet." Merlin defended his pride.

"You're adorable." Gwaine ruffled the servant's hair with a fond smile on his way inside.

Merlin huffed at the different way he was being treated. He readjusted the cape to make sure his hair was still hidden.

Turning on his heal Merlin tried to escape back to Gaius' chambers but the prince grabbed his arm to stop him from fleeing "We have to inform my father what happened." Arthur explained as he dragged his reluctant servant towards the great hall.

The guards let them pass with a curious look at Merlin thinking something looked different about him.

…

Merlin shifted uncomfortably in the middle of the room as the court gawked at him as Arthur explained the situation. Looking down at his feet his hair fell into his face hiding him. At least all this long hair was good for something.

"So this Sorceress cast a spell at you but your servant got in the way." Uther asked to clarify what his son was saying. "Instead of trying to kill you she deemed to switch your gender?"

"Yes father." Arthur nodded. "She said something about you wanted a male heir so she would take thay away from you."

"Let's see it then." Uther gestured with his hands at the servant and sat back in his thrown.

Arthur walked over to Merlin and tugged the cape off his shoulders. His long black hair tumbled down his back from where he had been hidden tucked into the cloak. The room gasped as it whispered amongst itself. Even with his baggy shirt you could see the immense changes in his once gangly male form.

"I guess I have to thank you for once again. We'll have Gaius work on getting you back to normal." Uther nodded his thanks. He couldn't imagine if Arthur left a prince and came back a princess. "It would be best if this was kept a secret from the people though. Everyone in this room must agree to keep this a secret." The occupants nodded but Merlin suspected they had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

Gaius shook his head at the situation his ward had gotten himself into now. "If you don't mind I'd like to start looking for a solution it straight away?" The king dismissed him, he left to look up a solution. Knowing Merlin could not stay this way for long because he warlock would get himself into a whole different type of trouble.

Turning to his right Uther addressed his ward. "Morgana, you are charged with providing the bo…" The king started to say boy but stopped himself. "They need proper clothing. It isn't dignified to walk around in male clothes." Like being address as they was so much better.

Morgana smirked making Merlin shudder in dread. "It'll be my pleasure." She stood from her throne and walked to Merlin clutching at his arms she started to drag him towards the exit.

Arthur gave Merlin a pitying look as he was whisked away.

o0o

Gwen took his measurements with a professional air. "I'll alter a couple outfits for you since we don't know how long you'll be stuck like this." Morgana had a collection of dresses she had out grown that would fit Merlin's new petite figure quite nicely.

"I still don't see why I can't just wear my own clothes." Merlin complained.

Morgana rolled her eyes and turned from her vanity where she had been brushing her hair. "None of your clothes fit anymore. They are either too tight on your hips or falling off showing all your private bits. You'll have all the males of the castle panting after you."

"That won't happen." Merlin denied her accusations against the male population. "They all know I'm originally a male. It should put them off."

"Doesn't matter." Morgana stood and glided towards his position in the room. "Right now you are a beautiful female and males do not act rationally when they are attracted to someone."

"We aren't animals you know. I'm sure they have enough restraint to resist me." Merlin huffed in defence of the male gender.

"You under estimate how good you look as a girl." Morgana turned him so that he was looking in a mirror.

Merlin could hardly believe the girl in the mirror was him. Every time he moved she moved though so it must be true. He would admit that if he saw a girl who looked like this he would think they were cute. "Is it weird that I make a more attractive girl than boy?"

"You're not unattractive as a boy, either. You just don't have the muscle mass that most women look for. Not that you are weak looking." Gwen berated herself. "Oh bother. Sorry."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as an insult or a compliment." Merlin mumbled. He knew that most woman found him adorable rather than roguishly hansom. It was both a blessing and a curse; he got extra food from the cook at least. Cute on a man was a little out of place but now that he was a girl it slotted into place.

"We are just trying to say that you are very attractive so you need to be careful." Morgana warned the servant about his new appearance. "Men will treat you different weather you like it or not."

"Like Arthur trying to treat me like a maiden." Merlin snorted as he remembered his master's actions. "He actually tried to help me down from my horse.

"Exactly like that. The prince is too noble to make a move on you so he's not the type of men you have to worry about." Morgana nodded. "I would suggest you not be in Gwaine's presence alone though." She advised.

"He's one of my best friends." Merlin replied.

"She's right Merlin. Gwaine was eating you up with his eyes. You know he doesn't have very much self-control."

"I won't be a female forever." Merlin huffed.

"Until then." Morgana held a swede dress up to his form. "I think blue suites you quite beautifully."

Merlin sighed.

o0o

Merlin barged into the prince's chambers without knocking.

Arthur had been in the middle of changing and seeing the dress out of the corner of his eye had jumped behind his changing screen.

"I can't believe how annoying Morgana is acting." He heard a female voice complain.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked quickly pulling on a shirt. Sighing in relief when he heard the careless "Yeah" in reply. Stepping out from behind his dressing screen he gasped. Morgana and Gwen had done an amazing job dressing Merlin to the point he didn't recognized him. His body had been wrapped in a blue suede dress and his hair had been braided so it hung over his shoulder. It looked like they had even painted his face.

"Why'd you run like that when I came in?" Merlin asked with his hands on his hips and a raised eyebrow.

"I was getting dressed." Arthur shrugged.

"So? I've seen you naked plenty of times." Merlin exclaimed with a role of his eyes.

"It's different now." Arthur shuffled uncomfortably.

"Because I'm a girl now." Merlin pursed his lips. "I'm still me, still clumsy Merlin. I don't want you to treat me differently."

"So you still want me to command you to clean the stables?" Arthur asked superiorly.

"Well I could do without that. I think Morgana would kill me if I ruined her wonderful work." Merlin smiled as he approached him. "I mean I expect you to still prance around half naked in my presence like you usually do."

"I don't think that is going to happen." Arthur shook his head in denial. Even though his brain knew it was Merlin standing in front of him his body told him something completely different. Specifically a certain part of his anatomy.

Merlin huffed and stalked towards him. "Take off your shirt."

"No." Arthur backed up self-consciously.

"I said take it off." Merlin tugged at the material on his chest. Arthur tried to push his servant's hands away from his person.

Morgana stepped through the open door of the prince's room. "Arthur I was just wondering if you have seen…Merlin." Morgana stopped when she saw them. "Am I interrupting something?" She gestured to them with a lecherous smirk on her face.

They bother froze in their struggles.

"No!" Arthur snapped. Realizing what a compromising position they were in. "This isn't what it looks like." Merlin had managed to get his tunic half way up his chest so his abs were on display. He had one of his servant's slender wrists in his hand holding it away from his body above their heads. Arthur hadn't wanted to hurt Merlin so he had been trying to gently stop him which hadn't been very successful.

"I beg to differ." Morgana looked at their flushed faces.

Merlin released his master blushing sheepishly. He gave the prince some space. "What do you want now?" He whined with slumped shoulders.

"I wasn't finished with you." Morgana narrowed her eyes at the servant.

"What more can you do to me?" Merlin gestured to his pristine appearance.

"Lots." Morgana smirked and tapped her foot. Merlin sighed and walked towards the demanding women.

"I expect you to still bring my breakfast in the morning." Arthur called after his servant who sent him a smile as he was herded out of his chambers.

**...TBC**

 


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get the second part working on multiple stories at once.
> 
> I also debated only making it two parts because the second chapter wasn't very long but i had a moment of inspiration one evening so now that isn't a problem. The third chapter is no longer just a big lemon and should be up soon.

**o0o**

"Rise and Shine." Merlin cried as he ripped open the curtains to let light into his chambers like usual.

Arthur groaned as the light hit his eyes. Sitting up in bed he saw the appearance of his servant who was still a female. He had hoped it had been a very weird dream but it seemed it wasn't to be.

Looking at his servant he noticed Merlin didn't look as put together as the day before. He guessed Merlin had gotten dressed himself without Morgana's help. He doubted she would bother to get up early enough to help.

Though it seemed Morgana had provided Merlin with a new dress. It was much less intricate than the blue suede one from the day before. It was closer to something Gwen would wear meaning it was simple enough for Merlin to get dressed by himself. It was a soft shade of blue- he guessed Morgana had decided the color suited Merlin- with bell sleeves and a brown leather corset cinching it in at the waist.

It seemed Merlin had also given himself a set of bangs since the last time he saw his servant. The hair cut was reminiscent of the one Merlin usually sported as a male. Arthur didn't know why he didn't just cut all of his hair off.

"Hurry up and eat before it gets cold." Merlin called indicating to the meal. Flopping into a chair at the table. The servant sat with their limbs spread out and his legs wide open stretching his skirt. It wasn't the way that a female sat at all which broke the illusion of a young lady sitting in front of him.

Arthur forced himself to climb out of bed and trudged towards the table. He removed the metal cover to discover his usual breakfast revealed. Pulling out his sheep skin chair he sat down and started to eat.

"See, you're getting used to it." Merlin smirked as he pointed to his bare chest. "Walking around half naked around me already."

"Right." Arthur looked down at his nude chest. He was so used to not having to worry about what he was wearing in his chamber he forgot to get dressed.

Merlin reached onto the prince's plate and grabbed a piece of sausage. Arthur glared but didn't call him out on it. "Maybe this female thing has its merits." Merlin commented as he chewed with his mouth full. "If I was still male you would have bitten my head off."

"Don't get used to it." Arthur snapped. Noticing how Merlin's bad manners did not fit his female persona.

"I won't, but I might have to experiment with what I can get away with now while I have a chance." Merlin said mischievously as he brazenly swiped a cube of cheese from the plate and popped it into his mouth.

"That is a very bad idea. It will only get you in trouble." Arthur warned his servant off the idea.

"Trouble is my middle name." Merlin replied smiling brightly at him and batted his eyelashes girlishly. "I can handle myself though."

"Yeah, sure you say that now, but soon you'll be begging for my help." Arthur pointed a sausage at his servant in warning.

He didn't know why but Arthur kept letting his servant eat off his plate at the price of a little more than a smile in his direction. For someone who had only been female for less than a full day Merlin already knew how to use his feminine whiles to get what he wanted.

Merlin had swiped some more cheese but had dropped it by accident making it land in his bust. It felt weird having something down there so without a thought he reached down the front of his dress to retrieve the item.

Arthur nearly choked on his food when he noticed. "Merlin!" He snapped.

He stopped moving. "What?" Merlin froze and looked around.

"Get you hand out of your cleavage." Arthur hissed with a blush across his face.

"Oh yeah." Merlin looked down at the position of his hand. Feeling around until he found the bit of cheese, sheepishly he removed his hand from the front of his dress. Popping the small piece into his mouth anyway not wanting to waste food.

"Good morning." Morgana said as she breezed in without knocking with Gwen on her heels. She froze as soon as she saw Merlin's appearance she froze. "What the hell did you do to your hair?" Morgana screeched.

"I tried to cut it." Merlin replied with a shrug. "I was tired of not being able to see so I cut it all off. It grew back over night though. Well the majority of it did." He was now sporting a set of choppy bangs that were uneven while the rest of his hair was down to his waist once again.

"We need to fix this." Morgana pushed Merlin out the door and dragged him to her chambers.

Arthur sighed thinking about how long the next couple of days was going to be. He hoped Gaius found the solution soon.

.o.

When his servant returned Merlin walked into Arthur's chambers with slumped shoulders.

"I have been let into the world of women and it is a scary place." Merlin sighed as he collapsed into a chair by the hearth.

"What's so wrong with that?" Arthur asked curiously, looking up from the scroll he'd been reading.

"All they do is talk about appearances and which men they think are attractive." Merlin snapped in frustration. Apparently since he now had breasts he was allowed to be included in Morgana and Gwen's gossiping sessions.

It was nothing to the first time they tried to dress him when he was turned into a female. Merlin remembered back to that time.

…

~ "Get undressed." Gwen commented of hand as she selected some under robes to go under the dress.

"What?" Merlin squeaked with wide eyes.

"We are all girls here." Morgana rolled her eyes at his reaction. "You have nothing we haven't seen."

"I'm not actually a girl." Merlin huffed in frustration. "It's something I have never seen." He tried to get his point across.

"You mean you've gone 19 years of your life without ever seeing a women's breasts before." Gwen asked surprises. Being a servant herself, she knew how lose the other servant girls were. She was surprised none of them had made a move on him.

"You never spied on the village girls bathing or fooled around with anyone behind the barn." Morgana asked.

"No. I haven't gone past kissing a girl." Merlin bristled indignantly. "Have either of you seen a man's cock before?" He tried to turn the table on them.

"Yes." They both answered at the same time.

Merlin's eyes widened in astonishment.

"I have a brother." Gwen blushed as she replied. "We lived in a one room hut without much privacy."

"I have actually seen a few." Morgana shrugged, at the servant's appalled look she smirked. "What Uther doesn't know won't kill him. The first one I actually saw was Arthur's though. When he was going through puberty he was jerking off all the time." She commented like she was talking about the weather. "You're familiar with his cock too aren't you?"

"If you are asking if I have seen Arthur naked the answer is yes." Merlin sighed remembering multiple times he had actually seen it. They were both men though so it didn't matter. "I swear if he wasn't required to wear clothes he would walk around nude."

"You should have seen him as a child. After the fifth time he stripped naked Uther had the nurses sew him into his clothes until he learned it was wrong to streak naked around the castle." Morgana commented.

"That's a little harsh isn't it?" Then Merlin remembered it was Uther he was talking about. "Stupid question."

"I think the first thing we need you to do is look at yourself naked." Morgana suggested.

"No!" Merlin snapped a blush taking over his face.

"You need to get comfortable in your new body. How are you going to have to go to the bath room otherwise?" Gwen blushed as she talked about relieving himself.

"I'm trying not to think about it. I've had to pee for the past half hour." Merlin danced a little on the spot.

"Honestly, it's nothing to be afraid of." Morgana glided over and pulled the blue shirt over his head. Merlin squeezed his eyes closed. "That is unfair."

"What?" Merlin's eyes snapped open looking down curiously. He snapped them closed gain realizing what he was doing.

"You are stick thin yet you are blessed with a big bust." Morgana commented looking over his form.

"I agree. I'm nothing to sneeze about either but my body is built much curvier to support them." Gwen nodded in agreement. "It'll be murder to get those breaches off too." She commented on how tight they were on his hips.

"Merlin you actually need to look at yourself." Morgana grabbed the sides of Merlin's face and angled it towards the mirror. "Open your eyes."

"I don't want to." Morgana tugged on his hair. "Ow, fine." Nervously Merlin opened his eyes, sweeping over his new form. "No wonder they weigh so much. They're huge." He turned to the side so that he could really judge how big his boobs were. "No wonder it hurts when I jump."

"That's what the under garments are for." Gwen held up the corset for the servant to see. "Let's get those breaches off and into something more suitable." Tugging at the laces she pulled them down Merlin's thighs with force.

"Hey!" Merlin cried indignantly. He was left standing there in just his small clothes. Luckily he actually bothered today, most days he just went without.

"Stand still." Gwen commanded him slipping the under-dress over his head with proficiency. She had years of helping Morgana dress under her belt. She held the corset out for him to slip his arms through. Merlin put an arm through the right hole and then Gwen slid it around his back so that he could slip his left arm through. She quickly laced the front and then tugged it tightly closed. "That feels better doesn't it?"

"Can hardly breathe or move." Merlin felt really constricted in his chest. He bounced experimentally. "It doesn't hurt anymore I guess."

"By the time we're done with you, you'll never be able to recognize yourself." Morgana commented behind him brushing his hair as Gwen forced the rest of the dress onto him. ~

…

Merlin shuddered.

He couldn't wait to be a boy again.

o0o

Even though Merlin was now a female it didn't mean he was released from his manservant duties. There were some exceptions like helping his master dress and undress because it wasn't proper, or cleaning the stables because it would get his dress dirty (At Morgana's request).

Arthur tried to act like everything normal and just forget that Merlin was a girl now. It was really hard though since everyone else seemed to embrace it. It didn't help that Merlin made a very beautiful girl because he had the male population of the castle falling at his feet. It sent the prince's teeth on edge every time he noticed someone eyeing his servant.

He felt this possessive feeling taking over him. Never before had Merlin had so much attention that distracted him from taking care of his master. Arthur was feeling a little neglected.

.o.

Over the next couple of days it was clear that Merlin had no idea how to act like a proper lady:

-Merlin wonder the halls at night alone.

-Merlin had a belching contest with some of the knights.

-Merlin went to the forest alone to collect some herbs for Gaius. Which was a big no, no, with the large amount off bandits on the loose.

What the prince didn't know was that Merlin had been attacked by bandits and used his magic to slip away.

-Merlin went drinking with Gwaine at the Rising Sun. He did not have to pay for a single pint himself because men were buying him drinks left right and centre. Arthur was not impressed when he was called to collect his drunk servant by the worried bar keep. Gwaine was too sloshed by that point he was no help.

Arthur remembered back to that experience.

~ Arthur was finishing some documents when there was a knock at his chamber doors. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal one of the castle guards. "Sir, the bar tender of The Rising Sun says you need to go collect your ma…servant."

"Gwaine." Arthur growled as he stood up from his desk. He knew it was the knights fault. Grabbing a cloak he stalked past the guard and down the stairs. When he arrived at The Rising Sun he was unimpressed _at the state of his servant. "You're totally pissed._

The table that the knights and his servant occupied was surrounded by the majority of the taverns patrons.

_Merlin was the only female present in the whole tavern besides the serving wench who he knew could take care of herself. An un-wanted attention in Beth's direction and you were likely to lose a finger. Merlin did not know how to take care of himself like that._

_As a male Merlin was practically defenceless; Arthur didn't know how he came out of every fight and battle alive. As a female he was even worse. The servant had no sense of self preservation._

_"How much did Merlin have?" Arthur demanded Gwaine._

" _I'm not sure." The knight slurred. "Men have been buying him drinks all night. I lost count around 6."_

" _You can't let Merlin drink like that. He was a light weight as a man but as a girl he doesn't have enough weight to support that much alcohol." Arthur snapped._

" _Come on. We're going." Arthur tugged Merlin to his feet and put his arm around his shoulders for supported. The crowd groaned and booed as he took their only female away._

_Merlin stumbled back up to the castle. Tripping on his skirt the whole way._

_Gaius raised an unimpressed eyebrow as the Prince helped his ward to his room._

_Arthur tried to lay Merlin down on the bed but he clutched at his clothes. "You need to let go."_

_"No." Merlin giggled, wrapping his arms around his master._

_Arthur sighed in relief when he realized that Merlin had fallen asleep._

_The next morning the prince had to drag his servant from their bed because Merlin had a huge hangover. It wasn't a fun day. ~  
_

The prince made a note to himself to see how Gaius was coming along with his research as soon as possible. Arthur had duties to attend to right now though.

o0o

Arthur's word clashed with his opponents. With a few more slashes the prince had managed to knock the weapon out of the other knight's hand. Removing his helmet Arthur panted. Leaving the field he sat down to catch his breath.

Looking to his left Arthur noticed Gwaine was giving him a weird look. What?"

"Just trying to imagine what you would look like if that spell had actually hit you." Gwaine answered contemplatively. "Then I could actually call you princess and you couldn't say anything about it." The knight cackled.

"What's so funny?" Merlin ask when he brought Arthur some water.

"Just teasing Princess about if the spell actually hit him." Gwaine explained his amusement.

"Oh, Arthur would have made a beautiful princess. I'm sure all the other princes would have been fighting over his hand in marriage." Merlin joined in to the mocking. "His long luscious blonde hair." Flipping his own hair over his shoulder to make a point.

"Well it happened to you instead of me." Arthur replied brightly standing up and heading back to training.

"You wouldn't have been able to handle it anyways." Merlin called after his master indignantly. If the spell had actually hit the prince he would be having a mental break down.

"That's right. You make a much better girl than I ever could." Arthur yelled back with a smirk.

"Clodpole." Merlin pouted knowing how true the statement was.

**...TBC**

 


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's another chapter to this random story. I haven't abandoned it and left it unfinished. As a gender changing fan-fiction I felt like I needed to write this. It started out as a small paragraph and just grew so I decided to make it a whole different chapter. It's more a side story than anything. I deviated from the original plot a little. There is another chapter after this so the story will end with four chapters. I next one should be up soon.
> 
> Check out my new Tumblr  
> charlottemanserhart.tumblr.com

o0o

When the curtains were finally ripped open there was no happy calling of rise and shine. Arthur sat up in bed with a furrowed brow. He could see Merlin setting up his breakfast at the far table by the mantle. Today the servant was wearing a navy dress that had bell sleeves.

"Morning." Arthur greeted his servant who just grunted in reply. Merlin wondered over to the fireplace with his squirt swishing behind him to clear away the soot. Arthur climbed out of bed and approached the table. He sat down in his usual chair and dug into his meal. Since he wasn't being careful he managed to knock over his goblet with his elbow.

Looking over their shoulder at the noise. Merlin dropped what he was doing with and aggravated huff. "I just cleaned that." Merlin growled under his breath. Stomping over to clean up the mess his master had made.

"Sorry." For once Arthur felt like he needed to apologize.

"Sorry isn't enough." Merlin mumbled under his breath as he wiped the table. Once Merlin was satisfied he dumped the rag back into the bucket. Turning his attention back to his other duties.

Once Arthur was finished eating he immediately stood and walked over to the dressing screen. Once he was on the other side he started to change out of his night clothes he threw them on the ground. Usually Merlin would provide him with new clothes without him having to say anything but this time he received a different response.

"The laundry basket is right there." Merlin snapped with true annoyance in his voice.

"It's your job to clean up after me." Arthur raised an eyebrow at the behaviour. Merlin usually never got all huffy about him leaving his clothes on the ground. He would make a sarcastic comment maybe and pick it up himself.

"Doesn't mean you have to be a slob." Merlin nagged at him. "I can't do this right now." He exclaimed, stomping out of the room.

Arthur tried to finish getting dressed by himself. It was fine until he turned to his armor. He was expected at the training field that morning so he would need to be attired in it. Sadly he could not put it on himself. Walking over to the door he stuck his head out. He could just see Morgana walking away with her maid.

"Gwen!" Arthur called after their retreating backs. They both turned around at the sudden shout.

"Arthur can we do something for you?" Morgana asked sarcastically when she saw it was the prince. Her maid peeked around her curiously since it had been her name yelled.

"I was wondering if I can borrow Gwen for a little bit. I need some help putting my armor on." Arthur asked his father's ward for permission. Considering her handmaid had taught Merlin to put armor on in the first place.

"Did Merlin not show up again?" Morgana asked as she walked towards him. He guessed that meant that she agreed.

"Actually Merlin was already here." Arthur exclaimed as he walked back into his chambers. Leaving the door open for the other two to follow him in.

"Why do you need help with your armor if Merlin was here already?" Gwen asked curiously as she stepped into the room. After spotting where the armor was spread out she went over and sorted it.

"You didn't send her off on some chore did you? Forgetting about your own duties that lay ahead." Morgana asked sarcastically knowing how the two they tended to act together.

"No" Arthur shook his head at her questions. "Have either of you seen Merlin today yet?" The prince asked the two females. He walked over to stand near Gwen who as soon as he was in arms reach started to place the armor on him.

"Actually no." Gwen shook her head as she grabbed another piece of armor. "Merlin has learnt to get dressed by himself now so I don't have to be there at every crack of dawn anymore so that Merlin can serve you on time."

"This morning Merlin was in this strange mood. Everything I did just seemed to annoy him." Arthur sighed thoughtfully. Raising his arm so that Gwen could get a strap on his chest plate.

"I can completely understand. I feel the same way most days in your company." Morgana exclaimed mockingly.

"So what, Merlin just stormed out?" Gwen asked as she put the shoulder guards on. "That's odd." She tightened a few more straps. "Your done."

Arthur had to agree that it was odd for Merlin to get so upset by him leaving his clothes on the floor. He decided he'd let Merlin go for now since he had to get to knight training. He would find his servant when he was done.

Once Arthur had all his armour on he grabbed his sword and left deep in thought.

...

Training all morning they didn't stop until the sun was high in the sky. They sat down to take a short breather.

Arthur sat on a bench and took a cup of water from a passing servant. He had been hoping that Merlin would eventually make his way to the training field but he didn't spot the blob of purple in the crowd anywhere. He let out a disappointed sigh.

"What's wrong with you?" Gwaine asked catching the action.

"Merlin was acting weird this morning." Arthur exclaimed with a shrug.

"When isn't Merlin acting weird?" Gwaine asked as he leaned on his sword.

"I guess you're right." Arthur said considerately. He shouldn't look too much into his servant's mood swing. Maybe Merlin just got up on the wrong side of the bed.

"In what way?" Lancelot asked curiously. There was a lot of stress on Merlin with having to hide his magic from everyone. Maybe there was something going on he didn't know about. He would have to sit the servant down later and asked if everything was ok.

"Huh." Arthur looked up confused by the question.

"In what way was Merlin acting weird." Lancelot repeated the question.

"Merlin was just complaining about having to clean up after me. Which isn't out of the usual." Arthur exclaimed when he realized what it sounded like. "It is just, there was this intense feeling behind the words that usually is missing. There was no humour."

"No humour." Gwaine repeated with a furrowed brow. "Your right. Something is wrong." He stroked his chin.

.

After training was over, Arthur had a random servant help him out of his armour and run him a bath. After he washed he threw on some clothes. Leaving his chambers to go search out his mislaid servant. Thinking about where Merlin would have possibly stomped off to.

He headed to where he always did when Merlin didn't show up. Arthur knocked on the physician's door. There was a voice that said he could enter. "Have you seen…?" Before he could even finish is sentence the physician pointed to the bed room. He nodded and walked over to the back room.

Merlin looked up from the bed when the prince entered the room. "I know, I know." The servant turned to look at his master. "I haven't done any of chores today."

"That and… Why are you crying?" Arthur asked uncomfortable with his over emotional servant. He hadn't even had a chance to say anything.

"I don't know." Merlin replied with watery eyes. He had been a female for three or so weeks now, he was entering the fourth week and he had started to feel over emotional at the littlest things. He kept flipping from happy, sad, to angry in a span of an hour depending on what was happening around him.

"Gaius!" Arthur yelled as he leaned out the door, panicking when the female started to cry harder.

"What is the problem?" Gaius asked as he shuffled over in his floor length robes.

"Ever since I woke up this morning, every little thing people are doing has been bothering me." Merlin tried to explain what he was feeling. "There is also this deep pain starting right here." He pointed to his abdomen.

If his ward was still a male Gaius would have thought something was seriously wrong. Now that Merlin was female he had to change his way of thinking. He ended up saying what he thought the problem was if this was any other female patient. "From your symptoms I believe you are entering your menstrual period." Gaius cleared his throat awkwardly.

"My what?!" Merlin gasped with wide eyes. Tears still streaming down his reddening cheeks.

Arthur covered his mouth trying to hold a laugh in. He grew up around Morgana so he knew perfectly well what the physician was talking about. Though she was more the rip a man's balls off than cry for no reason type. Merlin was so innocent even when it came to sex he could believe the servant didn't know what it was.

"It's a monthly cycle women have to go through when they are still fertile. Once a girl reaches puberty they are able to be impregnated but if the eggs they produced aren't fertile they need to be renewed." Gaius explained in technical terms. Since he treated both male and female patients he needed to know all about a women's menstrual cycle. Many girls came to him for pain tonics.

"What does that have to do with how emotional I'm becoming." Merlin asked confused as he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He was sure Morgana wouldn't be happy he was using one of her dresses as a handkerchief.

"The change in your emotions stems from the change of hormone levels your body is producing as it prepares itself for your cycle to begin. It can be a trying and painful couple days or a girl which is why men usually try and avoid them during their time of the month." Merlin covered his ears horrified as the physician continued to describe what he would be in for. "Your hormones will drop causing the uterus walls to shed its lining and the egg, making you bleed..."

"Stop, stop..." Merlin begged his mentor to discontinue. He knew that girl went through something called their time of the month. He had just never wanted any more details. When Gwen and Morgana got snappish he knew to avoid them as much as possible for the next few days. "I'm not bleeding though."

"What you are going through is called pre-menstrual symptoms." Gaius shrugged at the technicality.

Morgana had come to the physician quarters to fetch her tonic. She heard voices coming from the small bedroom. "What's everyone doing in here?" When she caught sight of the distressed servant she immediately she came to a conclusion. "What did you do to Merlin, Arthur?" Morgana accused the prince, noticing the servants red eyes. She stalked across the room and gave Merlin a hug.

"I didn't do anything! We were just talking like we normally do and Merlin got all, weepy." Arthur snapped defensively. Tired of Morgana judging him he snapped out. "Gaius thinks Merlin is going to get his period."

"Your pmsing." Morgana stated in surprise looking at the once male servant. The first period was only the worst feeling you've ever felt in your life. She knew that Merlin still mostly had the mind of a male so she wasn't sure if the servant could really handle the whole experience. "You're a real women now."

"What's going to happen to me?" Merlin asked himself with dread of what was to come.

Morgana stood up and held the door open. "You, out." She pointed at the prince.

"Why are you kicking me out?" Arthur huffed at suddenly being asked to leave. This was his servant so it was his right to know what was going on.

"This is women's business." Morgana stated as a solid reason. They had to explain to Merlin what was going to happen and the prince had no part in that. She highly doubted he would want to if he knew what they were going to be going over.

"Why does Gaius get us to stay?" Arthur asked dissatisfied.

"He's an exemption." Morgana slammed the door in his face.

As a team Morgana and Gaius explained in detail what Merlin should expect to experience over the next five days.

"That sounds absolutely horrible." Merlin exclaimed with wide eyes.

"You get to understand how women think, which is what every man wants to know." Morgana smiled as she looked back at the servant. A women's period was something a man could never understand. That along with giving birth.

"I really don't want to know any of this." Merlin shook his head, stunned from all the information he had just been provided with.

.0.

The next morning Arthur was woken up by George.

When he went to check on Merlin, Gaius warned him that his ward had locked themselves in his room and refused to come out. Arthur rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. "Merlin?!"

"Go away." A distressed female voice yelled from the other side. Arthur rolled his eyes and entered anyway. The lock had been broken on the door for a long time.

"I think I'm dying." Merlin claimed over dramatically clutching at his stomach in abdominal pain. Rolling back and forth in the bed.

"Come on Merlin, girls go through this every month and they handle it way better than you." Arthur rolled his eyes at his friends bitching and whining. "I guess I won't expect you back to work until this fit passes." His servant groaned in pain in response.

"I don't want to be a girl anymore." Merlin clutched at the physicians robes who raised his token eyebrow. "Change me back. Now!" He said aggressively.

"It's not like I haven't been trying to do so already." Gaius pried his ward's fingers from his robes. He retrieved a bottle from his pocket and placed it in the female's palm. "Take this and the pain should be manageable."

Uncorking the bottle Merlin threw the concoction back and then grimaced at the taste. No matter what the tonic was for, it never tasted good.

"I'll see you in a day or so then." Arthur said as he prepared to leave. His servant just waved him off as they waited for the tonic to kick in. The prince rolled his eyes and left since he had duties he had to be getting back to.

Arthur was glad to see at least one part about being a female had thrown the servant. This looked like it had spurred Merlin into wanting to switch back to his normal self. He was sure by this time next month that he would have his normal male manservant back because Merlin never wanted to experience this again.

.

It appeared that the tonic had been working until it wore off in an hour or two. "Come on." Merlin groaned in pain and rolled into a fetal position. Not only would he be cranky from cramps but now he would be sleep deprived.

These would not be a fun few days.

o0o

When Merlin did get up the will to leave his chambers for a bit he ended up slapping one of the knights who had tried to hit on him. It was never a good idea to ask a girl out around this time. Arthur thought the man deserved it so he didn't fault the servant though it was a harsh response.

It spread quickly after that through the castle that Merlin was experiencing her period. All the men that usually followed Merlin around tried to make themselves scarce. When they did come across the servant, they gave her a wide girth or offered sweet or salty treats as offerings.

It helped that one of the rumors was that Merlin had yelled at an inanimate object for getting in his way.

...

The first time Merlin came in contact with the knights she ended up growling at them. It happened because Gwaine was doing his normal teasing. It was not well received. The reaction completely threw them.

Morgana came along. "I'll handle this."

"What's wrong with him?" Lancelot asked concerned for his friend.

"Hormones." Was the one word answer Morgana gave, that explained everything to the knights.

The knights of the round table tried to ignore that anything was out of the ordinary. They did not want to contemplate what Merlin was going through. It was a mystery that only woman should know the details of. Except they were on their best behaviour around Merlin so as not to flip a switch.

.

After trying to communicate with his servant and getting his head bitten off for his troubles; Arthur decided to let Merlin be. It seemed like no matter what he said it was never the right thing. It was like Merlin had turned into a mythical beast. Transformed from his happy go lucky self to a screeching harpy. Morgana tried to explain to him this was normal when someone was in deep pain. He tried for one whole day but it wasn't working out.

Merlin had actually stabbed the table with a knife just missing where his hand was then went back to eating like nothing had happened. In one of the servants calmer moments Arthur had got up the courage to ask Merlin about it and she had acted like they didn't even remember doing it.

After that Arthur tried to stay out of the switched servant's way. He thought Merlin called him names before the switch but it was nothing compared to on his period. It surpassed prat, brute, dollop-head, cabbage-head, and clot-pole. There were no light hearted smart ass remarks or cheeky prattle.

o0o

After five very long days, Merlin appeared in the door way of the prince's chambers with a sheepish look on their face.

"Is it finally over?" Arthur asked with eagerness sitting back in his chair with relief.

"Yes, I feel normal again." Merlin's body felt like his own again.

"Oh thank god." Arthur released a huge sigh of relief.

"Was I really that bad?" Merlin asked embarrassedly.

"You threw a chamber pot at my head when I asked how you were feeling." Arthur replied with a frown. "It was full." He'd gotten off lightly though the prince thought. Gwaine had his face scratched when he offered to give Merlin a back rub.

"I missed." Merlin smiled bashfully at his actions, shrugging his shoulders. Luckily he did have shitty aim. "Sorry I was pmsing." Merlin apologized for his beastly behavior with a bright blush high up on her cheeks.

Arthur had heard all that before from Morgana. It was every women's excuse. She actually had the nerve to say that to him after Morgana had stabbed him with a practice sword. He would have never agreed to spar with her if he realized she was on her period at the time. A women with a sword when she was pmsing was scarier than any trained warrior.

"Hopefully we will never again have to experience that." Merlin exclaimed.

**..TBC**

 


	4. Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get the last part up. I've had it at 85% finished for a few months. I've had the ending written since the first day. I starting reading Sherlock fanfiction which threw me off a little. I've also just been trying to work on 5 stories at once. Now that I have this finished I can concentrate on the others.

Arthur knocked on the physician's door, there was a muffled permission to enter through the wood. The prince turned the handle and stepped inside. The old man was practically hidden by a mountain of books. "Have you had any luck?"

"Nothing yet I'm afraid." Gaius shook his head, flipping through more pages. "It's a very unusual situation, having ones gender changed that is." Looking up at his prince from the book he had been reading.

"There must be something in one of these dozens of manuscripts." Arthur gestured to the over flowing book shelves that lined the walls. The room was packed full of information on every sort of subject. There should be some solution amongst them.

"These books are filled with information on every kind of magical beast and harmful spell or curse." Gaius sighed with vexation. For nights on end he had been searching for a solution. "Changing ones gender is not a life threatening situation though."

"So you don't think you'll find a solution?" Arthur asked with dread. He didn't think he could handle Merlin being a girl much longer.

"It is unlikely to be I any of these books. I'll keep looking just in case though." Gaius exclaimed with a deep sigh. "Though, I have other responsibilities I must be getting back too." The old physician commented.

"You're giving up?" Arthur enquired apprehensively.

"No, no!" Gaius shook his head in denial. "I'm just saying I have other patients who depend on me for their health. Merlin being female for the time being is not a life threatening situation."

"So it's not the direst situation you mean?" Arthur asked to clarify.

"Yes." Gaius nodded with agreement. "Merlin will be fine being the wrong gender for a couple more days."

"I'm sure he will." Arthur exclaimed sarcastically with a role of his eyes. The physician raised an eyebrow at his comment. As if he didn't know what Arthur was talking about. "Merlin is way too comfortable being a female." He exclaimed with exasperation in his tone.

"I do admit that Merlin is handling the situation surprisingly well." Gaius contemplated with a pursed look. From what he's seen of his ward, the boy had taken the whole gender swap in stride. Every morning Merlin had left with a smile on his face even if it was in a dress. It didn't seem to be distressing his ward at all, actually.

"Well!" Arthur scoffed at the word used to describe the servants coping. "Merlin is enjoying being a girl way too much."

"Yes well, if worst comes to worst, and Merlin is not able to be switched back, at least he will be able to handle it." Gaius exclaimed flippantly on the matter.

"Merlin's going to stay a girl forever?" Arthur exclaimed dramatically.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Gaius shrugged at the prince's over reaction. He pushed a tomb aside and grabbed the next one from the top of the pile.

"Yes it would!" Arthur snapped, then took some deep breathes to calm himself down. "Merlin has just about the whole male population of the castle wrapped around his finger. Somehow Merlin (couldn't get a girl if he tried) Merlin, has managed to manipulate men better than any female." Arthur exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's more than likely, being a male himself; Merlin knows how men's brains work. What they want and desire." Gaius supposed logically. "Having firsthand experience makes Merlin better than most ladies of the court could ever dream to be."

"The only one Merlin seems averse to being treated like a lady from is me." Arthur exclaimed with frustration. Whenever he held the door for Merlin or pulled a chair out for the servant he would get a scathing look then a lecture about _"How he didn't want to be treated differently now just because he had boobs now_."

"You aren't a stranger. Merlin doesn't want the other knights to treat him differently either." Gaius tried to explain his wards twisted logic.

"I just want Merlin back to normal." Arthur sighed with exasperation. Since the switch he'd hardly seen his servant except in passing. When it wasn't other men clamoring for Merlin's attention it was Morgana wanting to play dress up most likely. Over the last week Merlin had more wardrobe changes than most woman had in a month. "If there's anything I can do?" Arthur inquired readily.

"If I can get permission from your father to access the magic vault I should have more luck." Gaius suggested offhandedly.

"I'll talk to my father for you." Arthur volunteered readily. Pushing himself back to his feet, he left to perform his normal duties.

.0.

The guards opened the door to the throne room as Gaius approached. The physician strolled into the familiar environment. He could see that his ward was already there along with the prince. "You summoned me, my lord?" Gaius asked the king.

"Yes, my son has informed me that you've requested permission to enter the Vaults." Uther nodded in confirmation.

"I haven't had much luck with my current literature." Gaius explained his reasoning behind the sudden bid.

"Yes, I've notices your servant has not been returned to normal yet." Uther shot a look in the ex-man servant's direction. The boy was wearing a purple dress that day and had their hair in a high bun. "So you have not come across any leads to turn, it, back?" Uther inquired to the physician's futile search.

Merlin bristled at the way the king addressed him in his new form. Now he's been downgraded from a 'they', to an 'it'. He understood it was confusing not knowing how to address a person based on their gender but it was strange how only Uther seemed to have trouble with it.

Mostly he just let people decided themselves what they felt comfortable with. He didn't take offence when people referred to him in the feminine sense like she or her. He preferred to just be addressed as Merlin though. Some people had tried to call him Merlina at the beginning but he had immediately shot that idea down before it could catch on.

He had noticed how the prince had been referring to him as just his servant instead of man-servant. At least his master didn't start calling him his maid servant; Merlin didn't think he could have stood that. Most often than not Arthur still called him Merlin luckily. It seemed he was trying to ignore the fact that anything was different, which was very refreshing he thought.

"If you must." Uther sighed in resignation. He didn't really like anyone going into that room if he could help it. It held nothing but trouble in the past "As long as you'll promise to get some results."

"Believe me sir, I want to see this resolved more than most." Gaius nodded his head in thanks and then grabbed Merlin's arm dragging his ward after him out of the room.

"Arthur go with them." Uther addressed his son. Only the king and the crown prince had a key to the vaults. For a good reason.

^.0.^

Arthur unlocked the door to the vaults and swung the door open. "Grab any books that seem useful. Make sure they're returned after you're done with them."

Gaius scanned the shelf's looking at the spines to find anything that may help. Selecting a few as he went along. When he was done he had a dozen books selected. "Everyone grab a few volumes each." The physician leisurely walked out with a couple tombs under his arm. He would leave most of the physical work to the younger generation.

The prince and the servant gathered the rest of the books. They tried to split it evenly between them. In the end they each had about a dozen books each because Gaius had left the majority for them.

"Problem Merlin?" Arthur asked as the servant swayed under the weight of the books. He knew how physically taxing it must be for his slender arms. Each volume was thick with leather covers too.

"No." Merlin denied the accusations. Flipping his head he tried to get the hair that had fallen out of his bun out of his face. It was an unsuccessful endeavor. Blowing at the piece of hair because he had no free hands to brush it back. He shuffled out of the vault slowly with a waddle in his walk.

Arthur sighed with exasperation. At that pace it would take him hours to make it back to the physician's quarters. He picked two books off the top of Merlin's load to lessen the weight. It was easy to carry for him because of all the physical training he does usually but it was close to blocking his eyesight.

It took them a while to get up the stairs. Gaius waited patiently at the top while the prince tapped his foot with impatience. "We don't have all day Merlin." Arthur snapped, rolling his eyes at the dramatic grunts of excursion the servant was making with each step.

Merlin panted once he made it to the top and lent against the wall. He never knew the stairs to the dungeons to be so treacherous. Usually he just sprinted up them with no problem.

"Come on boys, we shouldn't dilly dally." Gaius claimed and walked off briskly for a man of his advanced age. The prince followed without any difficulty. With a grunt the servant followed behind the two.

Merlin struggled under the weight of the heavy tombs. He had always been of a slender build but as a female he had even less muscle tone than before the switch. The dress wasn't helping him keep his footing either.

A young servant passing by noticed the young women's struggle. "Do you need help with that?"

"That would be a great help." Merlin smiled brightly around the large pile.

"Merlin..." Arthur turned to address his servant but stopped when he saw what was happening. Sighing in exasperation, as Merlin was forcing a large portion of the pile of books on to a man who was blushing. "Hurry up!" He snapped irritably.

Merlin rushed to obey his master with the male servant following in his wake.

Arthur glared heated at the man as he placed the books in the physician's quarters. He stood after like he expected a reward from the female for his gentlemanly help. It seemed Merlin was oblivious to this fact as he prattled on about this and that.

"Don't you have something you are supposed to be doing?" Arthur growled with irritation. The man was a servant, they always had some chore or other that needed to be done.

"Yes, right." The man stammered. A deep blush set on his cheeks as he addressed Merlin. "I must be getting back to the kitchens." He had been sent to deliver some lord's supper and had multiple meals he had to deliver still. On his way back to the kitchen he had noticed the famous Merlin's struggles. He had heard all the rumors of the prince's man servant's plight but had only caught a glimpse of her in passing. He had been hired at the castle only after the curse had already taken affect so could not picture the dainty girl as a male.

"I'll see you later…" Merlin started to state then stopped when he realized he didn't actually know the man's name. He knew a lot of the other servant's names but hadn't made this man's acquaintance yet. Servants often came and went and he thought this man must be new.

"Carl." The servant answered clutching his hat in his hands with an embarrassed flush o his cheeks.

"Carl, I'll remember that." Merlin nodded and pushed a lock of hair behind his ear. It was an action that most men would take as flirting but the prince knew that the servant just wanted the hair out of his face. Carls swooned at the action.

Arthur was starting to see now how Merlin was enchanting men; it was all a big fluke. Merlin didn't even know he was sending out signals.

o0o

Life seemed to go surprisingly smoother for him as a female. There always seemed to be a helping hand at the ready. If Merlin should chose he would never have to lift a finger. The thing is he liked doing most things for himself. A little help was never amiss though with the long list of chores the prince had him perform every day.

Men trying to court him put Merlin on edge though. He wasn't even quite sure how the mechanics worked. Never having actually coming close to courting except for with Freya. The whole process confused him.

Merlin tried to turn them all down nicely. It didn't seem to be working very well because a lot of the men just showed up again the next day.

Arthur was like a guard dog protecting what was his. If any of this happened in his sight he would swoop in and stop it.

They were leaving the training field together. The prince narrowed his eyes when he noticed one of the younger knights was reaching out to goose Merlin's behind. Snatching the boy's arm Arthur bent his wrist back. "You touch my servant, you die."

"Yes my lord." The young knight squeaked in fear. Arthur released his tight grip and he boy who dash away. He sighed when he realized that his servant hadn't noticed anything had gone amiss. Merlin was still talking to thin air. With hunched shoulders Arthur followed in his servants wake glaring at anyone who even glanced at her direction.

Once they got back to his room he addressed the situation.

"You are bringing too much attention to yourself with these outfits." Arthur accused gesturing to the over extravagant dress for a servant. Morgana had gone through the large majority of the casual dresses available to her. Now she had resorted to adorning Merlin in banquet clothes.

"It's not like I actually chose what I'm going to wear." Merlin scoffed at the remark. "I would much rather wear my normal clothes."

"Doesn't Morgana have any more decent dresses?" Arthur asked as he glanced back. The low cut of the dress left Merlin's cleavage on show.

Merlin flushed and tried to cover his bosom with his arms. Since the switch he found that a lot of men talked to his chest instead of his face. Merlin found it entertaining more than offending. It never seemed to bother him when males looked at his breasts, except for Arthur. The prince was always the exception. "It seems not." He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

The prince shifted, an awkward silence fell between them. It seemed any time Arthur brought up the fact Merlin was female, was a moment where it seemed more real. Usually they ignored the situation like they normally did. It broke their pattern so of course Arthur insulted the servant to break the mood. Merlin rolled his eyes and responded back with sarcasm starting an argument that had no real logic to it.

The next day Merlin wore his neckerchief over his dress of the day to cover his cleavage. Morgana was horrified."That colour doesn't go with your dress at all."

o0o

The prince was trying to train his knights but they weren't listening to a word he was saying. Like usual Merlin was performing some of his duties at the edge of the training field. He was trying to sharpen a sword at the moment and it looked very, the only word that came to mind was suggestive.

Merlin had a small crowd gathered around him now. It appeared they had all been roped into helping the servant perform his chores. It had become a bad habit of Merlin's lately. Whenever he was seen struggling to perform his duties a gullible male would offer to help and Merlin would readily accept.

What Merlin seemed to overlook is that a man wanted something in return. Arthur knew it was only a little time before this got his servant into trouble. They needed to have a talk about Merlin's careless behaviour.

.0.

There was a feast the next night to celebrate the beginning of spring.

Arthur realized the lord he was talking too was distracted by something behind him. Turning he saw Merlin adjusting his boobs which was gaining a lot of attention from male guests. Face palming he groaned and stood to handle the situation before anything happened.

Grabbing his servant by the arm, Arthur dragged her from the hall and into an alcove for some privacy. "Merlin what do you think you're doing?" Arthur asked with exasperation. Merlin gave him a baffled look like he didn't know what he was talking about. "Adjusting your…" He gestured to the chest area too embarrassed to actually say the words to Merlin's face.

"But they're itchy." Merlin complained as he scratching across his chest once again.

"Doesn't matter. You are a girl now and you can't be doing things like that in public." Arthur rubbed at his temples.

"Why not?" Merlin replied with a slight whine in his voice.

"It'll get you in trouble that's why!" Arthur snapped with exasperation. He didn't see what was so hard

"In what way? Scratching myself is not against the rules." Merlin crossed his arms pushing his boobs up more making them more prominent.

Arthur slammed his hand against the wall beside his servants head caging him in with his body. "You aren't a male anymore. You're a weak female who many men would like to take advantage of. If you keep teasing the male population with your careless behaviour one of them may not be able to control themselves." He glared into the wide blue eyes.

Merlin gasped when he realized what the prince was talking about. Had he really been doing that? It seemed he hadn't noticed he'd been giving some men some false hope. It had never occurred that men would seriously be interested in him knowing what he was originally.

He demurely looked down. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to change how you act. I don't mean to gain anyone's attention really." Merlin shifted uncomfortably. His chin was taken by his master's fingers raising his head to look into his eyes.

"You have to stop accepting help from other men. They want something from you that you aren't willing to give them." Arthur demanded. "Understood?" He could feel the servants head nod making him realize how close he was.

"Yes." Merlin rasped out. He could feel Arthur's breath across his face and felt a shiver down his body from his close proximity. The prince's hand cupped his cheek and he leaned closer.

Arthur looked at the wide blue eyes and felt himself dawn in. Before he knew it he had his lips pressed against his servants. Pulling back in surprise. "I shouldn't have done that." He exclaimed out loud wondering what he had been thinking. He made to move away but he was crabbed by the front of his tunic.

"Don't." Merlin tugged him closer till their chests were brushing together. Standing on his toes to reach the prince's face he connected their lips once again. He nibbled at his lips a couple times till Arthur started to respond back.

Arthur leaned down to devour his servant's mouth. His hands grabbed Merlin's hips to push her back into the wall.

They sprung apart when they heard laughter approaching their position. Out of breath they starred at each other curiously. "We better get back." Arthur suggested. Merlin nodded and followed the prince back to the feast.

They departed for the night without talking about it.

o0o

Arthur laid in bed starring at the canopy. He couldn't stop thinking about that kiss with Merlin. Once the feast had come to an end Arthur had evaded his servant. After what had happened between them he had needed time to think. Merlin was his best friend. Did he want to risk that?

Merlin was rushing around trying to get ready for work. It had taken him a long time to fall asleep the night before causing him to sleep in. Struggling with one of the dresses provided for him. When he finally barged out the door it was to find the prince just about to knock on it.

Merlin blushed deeply when he saw him. They stood gawking at each other for few moments. "Am I really that late?" Merlin exclaimed looking back in his room to see the placement of the sun.

"No." Arthur smiled fondly at his servant's reaction to his presence. Since he hadn't been able to sleep that night any way Arthur had gotten up early to take a walk. His feet had led him to the physician quarters. "Can I talk with you?" Arthur asked indicating to the door behind his servant.

Nodding Merlin left the door open for the prince to follow. They stood starring at each other in a heavy silence. Arthur had the strongest urge to just lean in and kiss Merlin. It seemed the servant could read it in his body language. They didn't even have to say anything to communicate what they wanted.

They were just leaning in to kiss again when the door banged open.

"I think I finally have a solution." Gaius exclaimed in excitement. He flipped the book he was holding opened to a page that showed a picture of a man and women. "This potion should reverse the effects of the spell."

"Really?" Merlin exclaimed with a girly squeal of excitement. The warlock grabbed the book from the physician's hands and read over what it said. "This could actually work. Hello being able to pee standing up." He exclaimed with a laugh.

"It shouldn't take me long to brew the potion. You should be back to normal by noon today." Gaius commented. "You should change unless you want to transform back to yourself in a dress." Gaius suggested looking over his wards frilly garment.

"Your right. I'm not sure how to get out of this thing though." Merlin contemplated calling Gwen back. She had stopped by earlier with another of Morgana's garments for him to wear.

"I'll help." Arthur volunteered.

Merlin shrugged not really caring if the prince saw him nude in this form since he would be back to normal soon. It wasn't his real body so he had no shame. He retreated to his room feeling the prince following him. Arthur closed the door while Merlin dug around through his cupboard for his usual attire.

"Can you help me with the laces?" Merlin asked turning to face the wall. Knowing how impossible it was to do himself. He thought that was a serious design flaw in dresses. He felt agile fingers tug at the laces until he could fully breathe again. That's one thing he wouldn't miss about being female was the long dresses.

Arthur stripped off the outer layer of the dress till he was left in just the under clothes. He turned around and looked at the wall.

When he slipped his shirt over his head Merlin felt like he was coming home again. He pulled his breaches over his legs and had to struggle to get them over his thighs and hips.

"Are you getting dressed or battling a monster?" Arthur commented hearing all the grunting and jumping around.

"My pants are too small in the thigh area." Merlin exclaimed out of breath. With one final hard tug they slid into place. His breaches where snug up on his hips making it hard to breath. "Finally." He sighed in relief.

Self-consciously Merlin looked at the prince under his eye lashes. After what happened between them the day before he wasn't sure where their relationship sat now. As a girl Arthur was attracted to him but what would happen when he was back to his normal clumsy self. He doubted the prince would be clamouring for his attention then.

He would never know until he was back to normal again though. "I'm ready." Merlin announced.

"Took you long enough to get dress. I'm already done the potion." Gaius held up the vial for his ward to see. The potion was a blue colour. He was sure it was going to taste awful like usual.

Throwing the potion back like a shot Merlin winced at the horrible taste. His eyes fell shut as he waited for it to take effect. He felt his body shift up and in which was a very weird sensation. Feeling with his hands he reached to his chest and found it flat as a boys should be. Merlin laughed in relief when he realized his hair was short again. "I'm me again."

Arthur sighed when he looked over the form of his manservant. 'Everything was back to normal' He thought sadly.

A sudden knock came to the physician's door. "Come in." Gaius called.

Leon opened the door. "Arthur, the king wishes to speak with you." He froze when he saw Merlin back to normal smiling at him.

"I got to go." Arthur sighed. An awkward silence fell between them. "You can have the afternoon off." He exclaimed as he stalked from the room.

.0.

Wondering the halls since he had nothing better to do, Merlin was congratulated on being back from multiple people like he had just been away on a trip. Also experiencing some his more amorous admirers avoiding eye contact when he passed them by. He would miss the extra help he received. No longer was he an attractive female, he was back to being a bumbling servant.

'Everything was back to normal' Merlin thought sadly.

Merlin wasn't sure what to do with himself. He assumed he was supposed to go back to his normal duties of being the prince's manservant. Checking the time he realized it was late enough in the day that it was almost time to bring Arthur his dinner. He hadn't seen him since that morning.

Knocking on the prince's door with dinner in hand he began to feel self-conscious. Entering after being given consent. Merlin walked to the table to put the tray down. Usually he would babble away but after what happened the day before he didn't know what to do with himself.

Standing up from his desk Arthur walked over to the table. He could tell that Merlin was trying to avoid looking at him in the eye. They had avoided the topic long enough. "About what happened..." He was cut off before he could continue.

"We don't have to talk about what happened yesterday. We can just pretend it never happened if that would make you more comfortable." Merlin babbled nervously.

"Merlin?" Arthur spoke with exasperation.

"Yeah." Merlin sighed as he looked at his feet. He shifted back as his master approached him steadily until his back hit the wall beside the mantle. Arthur's arms caged him in again and eyed him curiously. "I know a lot happened while I was a girl but…" A finger was placed over his lips.

"Do you ever shut up?" Arthur exclaimed as he examined his manservant's face up close. His high cheek bones and blue eyes were very appealing. He realized how handsome his manservant actually was. He had noticed before he wasn't bad looking but this was the first time it hit him how tempting he was.

Merlin shifted uncomfortably under his master's gaze. "It's just…"

Leaning in he kissed Merlin's lips before he could start babbling again. It was his first time ever kissing a male but after the night before he couldn't imagine never kissing Merlin ever again. He had to know if it was just the circumstances or something more.

He swiped his tong across Merlin's lips and the servant opened his mouth to meet his tong with his own. Their tongs fought together. Slipping his hand through short raven locks he held Merlin in place so he could conquer him.

"Definitely not just because you we're female." Arthur gasped as he nipped along the pale neck. There was something between them no matter what gender Merlin was. They would have to explore it more to figure out how deep their connection went.

o0o

"I am pleased to inform, that I have managed to return my ward to normal." Gaius addressed the court.

"Finally." Uther sighed in relief when he saw that his son's servant was back to his original form. He had actually received a marriage proposal from the lord that had just left. He wasn't the servant's father. Everything could go back to normal now.

When every eye in the room turned towards him Merlin blushed. Arthur nudged him in the shoulder. Their eyes met and the looks spoke more than words. They were far from over. Even if their romantic relationship was just behind closed doors for now. They had time to figure out what they wanted from each other.

As soon as the king dismissed the court the Knights of the Round Table descended to congratulate Merlin. "We should go to the tavern to celebrate." Gwaine suggested throwing an arm around his shoulders. It was good to have some things back to usual.

._.

"Knock knock." Merlin said to get their attention as knocked on the door frame of Morgana's door. He came to deliver the king's wards normal tonic for Gaius.

Morgana sighed in disappointment when she saw that the rumors were true. "You're back to being you." It had been great entertainment while it lasted.

"Yep, no more playing dress up with me." Merlin sighed in relief. He fiddled with the neckerchief around his neck. Glad to have it back.

"Oh, I planned for this. I had Gwen make you a whole new wardrobe." Morgana replied. Snapping her fingers her maidservant went to retrieve something with an amused look on her face.

"What?" Merlin gasped with wide eyes. He had not been expecting this.

When Gwen returned she held a blue suede jacket with black dress pants and ankle boots. There was even a neckerchief to go along with it in the corresponding color.

"I still think blue is your colour." Morgana commented, holding up one of the shirts up in front of his form.

 

The End

 


End file.
